Re: You Need Paper Charts Too
For Diana Jessie regarding “Yes, You Need the Paper One Too.” Good article that covers an important topic.
I’ve adapted a compromise practice that combines the electronic and paper. Prior to getting underway I review my planned course on paper to identify potential hazards, currents, ferry routes, etc. When underway I primarily use my electronic chart but keep the paper chart open too as a backup.
The compromise part comes in the charting. Every half hour, or so, I write down the latitude/longitude displayed on the electronic chart and locate it on my paper chart. I then place a small “post it” note at the point with an arrow identifying the specific fix. On the post-it I write the time, compass heading, speed over ground, and magnetic track over the ground. If my electronic chart quits then I can immediately revert to drawing lines on the chart based on my last couple of positions. This provides the backup information while keeping the charts clean.
I also cruise with the radar on because if I don’t know what the returns look like in good weather I’ll never figure them out in reduced visibility.
There is no hope for those that don’t want to take the time to understand latitude and longitude in the first place.
David Miller
You are certainly an aware boater. Can’t say I’m quite as thorough as you are, and most people are not even close. It is unfortunate that people don’t develop the necessary skills to navigate when their electronics go out. But, in an age when people need a GPS in their car to get around town, self reliance is pretty hard to find. Being an old fuddy duddy, I like the paper charts. Don’t get me wrong, these advances in electronic navigation systems are amazing and make life easier and safer for boaters — maybe much too easy. Electronic devices can either be another useful tool for safe navigation, or it can be just one more apron string.
Mayhem Extends Hartfelt Thanks to CG
“To the crew of Coast Guard vessels out of Neah Bay, Washington: As a participating sailing raceboat, Mayhem, in this year’s annual Swiftsure race, we would like to express our sincere gratitude for the quick and professional response to our medical evacuation performed by your excellent crew.
We had a crew member on the yacht, Mayhem, that suffered a massive heart attack which would most likely have been fatal, if not for the expert response of your Coast Guard team. After first contact with your forces, the team managed to respond, assess and evacuate the victim and deliver him to the Royal Jubilee hospital in Victoria in extraordinary time. The medical team of Royal Jubilee claim that this response time was imperative in saving the patient’s life.
The crew of Mayhem extends our most heartfelt thanks to your department for executing a successful emergency call. Please forward this note of gratitude to the crew and sailors involved in this rescue. We hope they will know how much their role played in the successful recovery of our crew member.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH - from the Mayhem Crew, Canada”
Sent by Greg Knight crew member of Mayhem
Yours is truly an amazing success story. Like you said, the short time from the incident until your skipper was in the hospital was phenomenal. It’s hard to imagine someone in a car accident getting to a hospital that fast, much less off a sailing yacht in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
The Coast Guard does some amazing things, mostly anonymously, every day. That’s why we’ve started a “Coast Guard on the Water” section every month just to touch on a few of the things they do to help out. Some are pretty funny, some tragic, and some great successes, as in the case of Mayhem’s skipper. I’m sure it did your skipper’s heart a lot of good to hear how well his crew sailed the boat in after he left. Pretty amazing. Another timeless tale for the Swiftsure Classic.
Coveted Covers
Each month I look forward to your cover. Why don’t you put out prints of them, I’m sure they’re very popular.
Fred Ebswirth
Yes, we’re proud to be able to use paintings on the cover. We put the contacts for the artists on the table of contents so people can buy a painting or print. The rights belong to the artists and we’re not in the art biz – yet.
Stronger Than You Think
There’s a sentiment among some sailors that Catalinas simply aren’t built for hard ocean sailing, and while I understand that our boats are designed for the most common uses (i.e. coastal cruising), I can personally testify that these boats are more than capable of taking a beating in some fairly harsh conditions.
Cases in point: Legacy, a 1987 Catalina 36, just completed both the 2007 Oregon Offshore race and the 2007 Swiftsure Race. For the Swiftsure, we competed in a short, 17.8 mile inshore race, and while the winds were routinely over 30 knots, we had reasonably flat seas. The winds made it a challenge, particularly on the upwind leg to the turn in Pedder Bay. The upside to all of that work was that after we’d turned the mark, Legacy simply sailed faster than many of her competitors, made the turn at the Quarantine Buoy, and had a fantastic beam reach to the finish, where the boat captured 2nd place in her division, and 6th overall.
The Oregon Offshore was a completely different matter, and really serves to illustrate the point I’m making above. This was one of the roughest Offshores in recent memory, with winds again blowing 30+ knots (with higher gusts) and seas in the 6-10 foot range, with larger rogues on a regular basis (the largest waves we saw were around 0600 Saturday morning, when two 18 footers rolled under us, providing a ride that rivals most roller coasters I’ve been on). Those winds were more or less out of the northwest, so for the fleet, it was a beat to weather all the way to Cape Flattery. It took Legacy two days to get to Tatoosh Island and the turn into the Straits, and most of the way, it was a pounding. We took our share of waves over the deck, which succeeded in finding every place that a sailboat can leak, but our Catalina held up well and made it through without any major damage, other than a parted spinnaker halyard at 0300 on Sunday, just west of Race Rocks (why do these things always seem to break in the middle of the night?!). For the record, three boats dropped out and ran for Grays Harbor and one boat lost steering twice and limped into Victoria. Legacy finished within the time limit and secured the Old Salt trophy, given to the last boat to officially finish, which is either a testament to our unfaltering refusal to quit, or our blind hardheadedness to keep racing in that mess when we could have been in Grays Harbor eating a hot meal. You be the judge.
My point is obvious: while Catalinas are certainly marketed to sailors whose primary goal is coastal cruising, this year’s races prove that they are also well-built yachts, capable of sustaining some fairly nasty conditions and coming through in fine form. That’s a testament to the work they’re doing down in Woodland Hills, and something we can all take heart in the next time we have to cross a choppy piece of water, inshore or not.
Eric Rouzee
SV Legacy
First Global Expedition?
On Page 31 of the June 2007 issue of 48° North is the statement in MARITIME TRIVIA: “The first global expedition devoted to ocean research and exploration was the 1872-1876 voyage of the British Research Vessel HMS Challenger.
I suppose you have already heard from bunches of readers about this entry, but it seems to me that many other voyages meet the general description of “ocean research and discovery”, not the least of which is the voyage of the HMS Beagle around the world with naturalist Charles Darwin aboard, which happened some 40 years earlier.
A bit of a stretch, perhaps, but Magellan’s voyage in 1520 was certainly one of exploration and to a lesser degree ocean research.
On the subject of galley fires – propane vs. alcohol – still bugging the USCG in Washington for the stats. When they finally provide them will revert on that subject.
Sure love the cover this month—wish I had a wall and the bucks to hang and buy it! Unfortunately, our walls are full and my wallet is empty!
Best regards,
Knick Pyles
Point Roberts, WA 98281
The HMS Beagle was planning her second surveying voyage to South America. Fearing the loneliness that led to the first captain’s suicide, he asked to have a companion brought along, preferably a naturalist, to join the survey. Enter Charles Darwin.
I would agree that Magellan’s voyage was far from ocean research, although that of course was a byproduct. They were far more interested on what they could find on land than on the sea.
Elvis Rocks Seattle – The Movie
I was part of the phenomenon that was the “Giant Elvis Float” at Seattle’s Opening Day Parade, in the days since, I have been busy putting together a short movie/music video which can now be viewed on You Tube.
To see it, you can go to the You Tube main page and do a search using the words “Elvis Float”. You will note that there are a couple of home movies other folks have posted which just shows the float going through the cut but mine (tag line “Elvis Float – The Movie!”) is a production piece I made using Microsoft Movie Maker.
I was hoping you would consider publishing the instructions above as a follow-up to the June story so that anyone who read the article and is interested in seeing the float in action could do so. You could also just publish the direct link,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GWiScHooxg
If nothing else, I hope you watch it and enjoy it.
Sincerely,
Kevin McStay
Bremerton Yacht Club
Okay, I watched the video and now I understand more about the dementia in Bremerton that lead to the giant Elvis head. A lot of work but you could never tell by the video. We sure enjoyed your efforts. Thank you, thank you very much.
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